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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29285736">Promises Kept, Promises Broken</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelixia/pseuds/Angelixia'>Angelixia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Febuwhump 2021 Collection [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Death, Gen, Hospitalization, Illnesses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:21:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,408</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29285736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelixia/pseuds/Angelixia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He was your source of sunshine, and you were willing to go through it all to keep it that way... until the bitter end.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bokuto Koutarou/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Febuwhump 2021 Collection [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125476</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Promises Kept, Promises Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Submitted for Febuwhump prompt Day 8: "Hey, hey, this is no time to sleep."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The beeping of apparatuses is already as normal to you as breathing is. The sounds kept you company in your otherwise silent room. It didn’t help that the hateful scent of the hospital and medicine already dissipated from your senses. You sigh. It’s been so long since you’ve seen the outside of these walls, and although you would love to see the outside world like you once did before, your body succumbed to your disease. You were a shadow of your former self, worn to the bone and pale-faced. Every day was getting harder. But thanks to the sunny disposition of your boyfriend, you kept and willed yourself to go on. As you stared at the windows, the only connection you had with your past self, the door to your room slides open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, hey, babe!” He was like a breath of fresh air. Always has been, and truth be told, he’s the only one that kept you going for the entirety of the fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koutarou…” You smile at him. “How’s practice?” You ask as he slowly made his way towards you, placing the usual bouquet of flowers on your lap. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good! I gotta keep getting better for the internationals! I can’t pass up the opportunity to look cool in front of my baby owl.” He kisses your forehead before giving you a wink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did promise to watch, didn’t I?” You giggle. “I just hope I’ll be well enough to go out and watch you in person, though…” You add as your smile slowly disappears from your lips. At that, Bokuto squeezes both of your cheeks, making you look him in the eye. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baby owl, it doesn’t matter to me whether or not you’ll be there in person.” He smiles at you solemnly as he took one of your hands and pressed it against his chest. “What matters to me is that you are here with me, always.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right.” You smile back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t hard to be drawn to Bokuto’s words. They always lifted your spirits, even on your worst days, when the pain was hard to deal with. You were very thankful that he still chooses to walk this bumpy road that you were fated to walk on. You remembered when you were first diagnosed with your sickness, you tried to push him away. You made everything difficult for him, but by the gods, he stayed. He stayed through every fight. He stayed through every frustrating word you threw at him. He held you close, and he became your sense of security, your rock, your everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He spent much of his time with you despite being busy with volleyball practice. It felt selfish, condemning him to the four walls of your little world, but every time your gaze lands on him as he fixed the flowers in your room or when he cut apples for you to eat, you could see that he was doing this because he loves you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you guys set on winning the Internationals this year?” You ask as he hummed, fixing your clothes in the little closet on the corner of your room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! I’m pumped to fight against the others again, y’know? I always welcome a challenge with open arms.” He puffs his chest out proudly. “It’s fun to face off against strong opponents, pushing each other to the limits and having fun. I think that’s the true essence of the game, don’t you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spoken like a true ace.” You remark proudly, and he beams at you. “Hey, Kou?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you win for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that a challenge I hear?” He smirks as he sauntered over to you. He sits beside you and throws his arm around you, and starts peppering you with kisses. Your giggles fill the room as he continues to shower you with love and affection. “You know better than to issue a challenge against me, baby owl.” He adds, cupping your face before he ever so gently kissed you full on the lips. “Promise me one thing, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kou, I—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please?” And there it was, the expression he doesn’t usually wear. You knew that he was trying to be strong for your sake, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand that this situation is taking a toll on you both. Both physically and mentally. You sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Promise me you’ll keep fighting? For me? For our future?” He presses his forehead against yours. The sudden shift of topics suddenly made the air in the room heavy and serious. You knew that you could only do so much. Each day was another battle to be fought. It was tiring, but if it was the thing that made Bokuto happy, you’d happily suffer through it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I promise.” You remark with a weak smile. It didn’t take him long to wrap his strong arms around you and you stayed like that for a good few minutes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the day of the match neared, the more Bokuto got pumped for it. Although you knew how busy practices are, he never missed a day visiting you in the hospital. You would urge him to go home early, take a rest, but all he would ever say is how you’re the only one he needed to re-energize. The funny thing is, your body seemed to deteriorate with every waking minute and you can feel it in the aches you feel all over your body… but you kept it from him. He didn’t need to know. He didn’t need to worry about you when there is an important match coming up. But ironically, the night before the match was agony. You struggled to breathe and the nurses had to give you a nasal cannula to help you breathe. It was one of your worst days. You struggled to even send him a good luck message before the match, but you were fighting it off. Fuck everything. You had to keep your promise, even if it kills you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Words couldn't describe the pride you felt as you watched him from the TV in your hospital room. You giggle through the pain at his Bokuto beam, and how he seemed to look at the camera and wink as the crowd goes wild. It was the very same look he’d give you when he was teasing you or showering you with love, and you didn’t know if your chest constricted with the pain or with the giddiness of knowing it was for you. You struggle to breathe, but the constant beeping of the monitor beside you only signaled that you were still doing fine.</span>
  <em>
    <span> You can do it. You can make it. You promised.</span>
  </em>
  <span> You repeated the words over and over in your head as you watched every spike, every receive. The final whistle of the game came to you like a comfort. You smiled as you see Bokuto’s grin flash on-screen and you feel yourself slip to unconsciousness, leaving a long beeping sound in your wake.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto rushes to your room after the match, overly excited to show you his medal of honor. He didn’t forget to bring you your favorite flowers, and there was a skip in his step as he walked through the familiar hallway leading up to your room, but the chill in the air was unmistakable. There was no one in the nurse’s station. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Weird… </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought to himself, and with every step, the hushed but frantic voices became more and more prominent. The door to your room was open, and you could hear voices coming from the inside. With shaky hands, he slid the door open, and saw people tower over your lifeless body, trying to resuscitate you… but to no avail. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“B-Babe?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor shook his head and announced your death, and it was then that he felt his world crumble. The bouquet slips from his grip and he slowly makes his way to you. The people surrounding you slowly retreated, offering you silent condolences as he reached out to hold your hand. It was cold and pale. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, this is no time to sleep.” He starts, tearing threatening to fall from his eyes. “Look, I won the match, as promised!” He sniffles as he sits beside you, making your hand cup his tear-stained cheek. “Please… Please keep yours? Please, don’t leave me, baby owl…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His silent cries filled the room, but the silence was all the response he got.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is one of the first ones I finished that kickstarted this challenge. This hurt to write and to think that this is my first time writing Bokuto too 〒▽〒<br/>Kudos and Comments are always welcome! (❁´◡`❁)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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